In July 1848, over 300 men and women gathered at Seneca Falls, New York for the first women’s rights convention. This convention declared the rights of women in an attempt to abolish all laws and practices limiting women’s rights. These laws limited rights such as divorce rights, the right to own property, the right to raise children if the father should die, the right to vote, and the right to obtain an equal income to men.
Two of the most thought provoking newspaper responses were those of Oneida Whig and The Mechanics Advocate, Female Department. Oneida Whig states, “...when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object, evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government.” Although Oneida Whig encourages women to fight for their natural rights, it also focuses on the selfish effects they may have on men. The article states, “If our ladies will insist on voting and legislating, where, gentlemen, will be our dinners and our elbows?” The men in the article lack consideration to the limitations of women’s rights. As they first state that it is the right of women to defend themselves and defy the unjust government, they then contradict their statement by arguing that their dinners would not be cooked and household chores would not be done. Chores such as making dinner and stitching stockings should not be perceived as a job set aside only for women. If women had been given more rights and had not been limited to housekeeping, there be no just reason why a man cannot complete these tasks as well.
The Mechanics Advocate presents illogical reasoning as to why women should not be provided with equal rights as men. The newspaper article states, “But there were two most potent reasons why women should be in subjection: 1. Adam was made before Eve. 2. Eve sinned before Adam. Now, there is no escape for women here for if she is older than her husband, then of course she must be subject to him because she must have sinned first. If on the contrary she be made younger, she must be subject to him because he was made first.” This article presents a completely irrational argument as there is no situation in which women would be able to gain freedom from their husband. The article also fails to present any biblical evidence as to why a man could be subject to his wife. These two biased reactions to the Seneca Falls Convention prove that there are no legitimate reasons as to why women should not be granted rights.
Although women’s rights have significantly expanded and women are perceived much differently than women in the 19th century, women continue to feel limited as to what they can and cannot do in society. For the most part, women have been granted the same rights as men however, there are many expectations that women must fulfill that naturally lead to labels and discrimination.
Regarding personal traits and characteristics, women are often judged by their personality simply because of the traits that their gender must uphold. For example, women often feel inclined to wear makeup to look feminine. However, this feminine appearance often prevents women from gaining respect. A woman’s feminine appearance can cause men to perceive them as weak or unintelligent. As a society, we have superficial expectations that a woman must attain to maintain a “feminine” figure, but these expectations can ultimately prevent a woman from being perceived for who they truly are and gaining respect in a man’s world.
Although we have made great progress in equalizing men and women’s rights in a legal sense, we still have to make progress towards providing women with more respect in a social sense. If women were to be judged more on their merit and moral integrity, and less on their appearance, than perhaps women would be granted more opportunities in our male-dominated society.
Citations:
Oneida Whig:
August 1, Edline, http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/images/vc006199.jpg, 2/1/15
The Mechanics Advocate:
Tanner, John, "Women Out of Their Latitude", Edline, http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/images/vc006200.jpg, 2/1/15
Pantene Commercial:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-K2kfgW7708&feature=youtu.be
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